Welt-seam-trimming machine



(No Model.)

' Z. T. FRENCH & W. G. MEYER.

WELT SEAM TRIMMING MACHINE.

No. 558,382. Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

ANDREW ajRAMAMynmMATMO. WASHINQIGKDJ;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZAOIIARY T'. FRENCH AND VILLIAM O. MEYER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

WELT-SEAiVl-TRIMMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,382, dated April 14;, 1896.

Application filed June 14, 1895. Renewed March 26, 1896. Serial No. 584,937. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ZACHARY T. FRENCH and WILLIAM C. MEYER, of Boston, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in \Velt-Seam-Trimming Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and figures on the drawings representinglike parts.

This invention relates to welt-seam-trimming machines, and has for its object to simplify and improve the construction of the same.

In welted boots and shoes the welt and upper are sewed to a channeled inner sole, afterwhich the welt-seam is trimmed oif-i. e. the between substance, as it is commonly called, is trimmed off so as to leave a smooth fiat surface for the outer sole.

The material which is trimmed off consists of the lower edge of the upper, which is quite soft, and the inner edge of the welt, which is hard and stiff, being made of sole-leather, and said sole-leather welt stiffens or reinforces the projecting portion to be trimmed off, so that it does not easily lie down while acted upon by the knife. In trimming such a welt-seam we find that by providing suitable feeding devices, by which the work ispositively fed along without danger of slipping, a stationary welt-seam-trimming knife may be employed, providing it has an oblique cutting edge, so as to shear off the material.

Our present invention therefore consists in the combination of feeding mechanism consisting of a pair of feeding-jaws and means for operating them to grip and feed along the work, of a welt-seam-trimming knife having an oblique cutting edge; also, in the combination of a work-support, against which the work is held pressed by the operator, clampfeeding mechanism consisting of a pair of jaws and means for operating them to grip and feed along the work, and a welt-seamtrimming knife having an oblique cutting edge; also, in other combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 shows a righthand side elevation of a welt-seam-trimmin'g machine embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the same 5 Fig. 3, a detail of the welt-seamtrim'ming knife and its support; Fig. 4, a cross-sectional detail of the feeding-jaws on the dotted line .70, Fig. 1.

The framework comprises, essentially, the base A and two vertical side pieces B B arising therefrom. The main shaft a is journaled in said side pieces B, and has secured to it a cam grooved disk D, which operates the clamp feeding mechanism. The clamp feeding mechanism shown consists of a pair of jaws d e, the lower ends of which are made thin and tapering, so that the front jaw may work close in the inseam or crease and the rear jaw afford ample space for the trimmingknife, and said jaws are adapted to close together and grip and hold between them the welt, and then carry the boot or shoe a short distance, then open, releasing the welt, and thereafter return to their starting point. Such form of clamp feeding device is frequently called a four-motion feeding device.

The jaw d is attached by screws 5 5 to an arm cl, depending from a sleeve (1 mounted on a rod (1 said sleeve being free to rock axially and also slide longitudinally on said rod. The screws 5 5 pass through slots in said arm d to enable the jaw d to be adjusted in and out, and a limiting-stop 6 passes through an ear on the arm rZ, bearing against the front of said jaw d. Two arms project radially from the sleeve (1 one, as (1 bearing a pin (P, which enters a cam-groove formed in the side of the disk D, said groove being so shaped that as the disk revolves the sleeve d will be rocked axially on the rod (1 each revolution of said disk so rocking the sleeve to and fro twice. The other radially-projecting arm d (see dotted lines, Fig. 1) enters a peripheral cam-groove in said disk D, said groove being so shaped as to cause the sleeve d to reciprocate longitudinally on the rod (2 each revolution of said disk so moving the sleeve back and forth longitudinally twice, and the parts are so timed that the sleeve (1 will be first rocked in one direction, moving out the jaw d, then moved on the rod d in a direction toward the right, carrying the jaw 01 with it, then rocked in the opposite direction, moving the jaw 61 inward that it may engage the welt, and then move on the rod in a direction toward the left to feed along the work, thereby giving to the jaw (Z four motions. These four motions will occur during each half-revolution of the disk D.

The jaw e is attached by screws '7 7 to an arm e, depending from a sleeve 6 mounted on a reduced portion of the sleeve (1 (See Fig. 2.) One end of the sleeve 8 bears against a shoulder formed on the sleeve (1 and the other end bears against a collar e secured to the projecting end of the sleeve (1 By this construction the sleeve 6 is caused to reciprocate longitudinally with the sleeve (1 yet is permitted to rock axially independently. An arm 6 projects radially from the sleeve 6 bearing a pin 6 which enters a cam-groove formed in the opposite side of said disk D, said cam-groove being so shaped as to rock the sleeve e substantially at the same time the sleeve (Z is rocked, so that the jaw 6 will be moved away from the work at the same time that the jaw (1 moves away from the work.

It may be necessary to only give one of the jaws four motions, the other jaw moving back and forth, and in such case we prefer to give the front jaw (Z four motions and the rear jaw a two motions, and in.such event the camgroove in said disk D and the arm c with its pin may be omitted, or said parts may be utilized for the purpose of steadying the jaw, the groove in the disk in such case being made truly circular.

e do not limit our invention to the number of times the cam-grooved disk D operates the jaws during each revolution thereof.

The jaw e is cut away upon its rear side to afford ample space for the welt-seam-trimming knife Z).

The welt-seam-trimming knife consists of a blade I), secured, preferably adj ustably, to a yoke or frame a, as by screws 12, said blade being sharpened upon one side and arranged obliquely to the progress of the work, so as to shear oif the between substance as the work is fed along.

The yoke or frame 0 is attached to the base A in an adjustable manner, as by screws 4. passing through slots therein and entering the base. The yoke or frame 0 projects forward, and has secured to its front end a worksupport (2, (herein shown as aloop-like structure inclosing the lower part of the feedingjaw (7,) and having its lower end made quite thinas, for instance, it maybe made more or less tapering, so as to enter the inseam or crease or bear against the upper and drawn taut over the last at a point adjacent the welt.

The lower or acting end of the loop 0 is made quite wide, so as to overlie several stitches to equalize the pressure and prevent straining the stitches.

We do not, however, limit our invention to any particular construction of work-support.

The clamp feeding mechanism herein shown, it will be seen, positively grips and feeds along the work, drawing it against the oblique cutting edge of the knife, and the latter trims off the between substance.

Ve claim- 1. In a welt-seam-trimming machine, the combination of a work-support at the face side of the welt, clamp feeding mechanism comprising a pair of jaws and means for operating them to grip the welt and feed along the work, and a stationary welt-seam-trimmin g knife at the under side of the welt, hav. ing an oblique cutting edge against which the work is fed by the clamp feeding mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In a welt-seam-trimming machine, the combination of a work-support at the face side of the welt which enters the inseam or crease, clamp feeding mechanism comprising a pair of tapering jaws at opposite sides of the welt and means for operating them to grip the welt and feed along the work, and a stationary welt-seam-trimmin g knife at the under side of the welt having an oblique cutting edge, substantially as described.

3. In a welt-seam-trimming machine, the combination of the loop-like work-support c, yoke c to which it is attached, feeding-jaws (Z, c, and means for operating them to grip the welt and feed along the work, and the stationarywelt-seam-trimming knife I) attached to said yoke c, and having an oblique cutting edge, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ZAGHARY T. FRENCH. WILLIAM G. MEYER. 'Witnesses:

13. .T. NOYES, O. 13. ORocKER. 

